Tap Souls – Git Gud, Git Tappin’

Dark Souls is a rather popular game series – in fact that may be a profound understatement. While there have been several attempts at conveying the masochistic wonders of the Souls series to mobile devices, few have come close to matching the tone quite as closely as Tap Souls. They say mimicry is the sincerest form of flattery, and if that’s the case, then From Software should be flattered by Tap Souls.

Like most infinite clickers, Tap Souls is all about just tapping away at your screen as fast as you can. However, it incorporates key elements of the Souls formula to add considerably more depth to the experience. You have your healing items, your magic spells, stats to improve, various enemies to fight with different weaknesses and stats, an inventory to manage, and even companions who offer various buffs. There’s nothing much to derive from the game’s story, but it makes up for that in a beautiful pixelated atmosphere. Even the idea of losing your experience points if you die is incorporated, putting far more risk-reward into every further step you take into the game’s assorted dungeons.

It would have been incredibly simple to just pop this project out as a one-and-done deal with half the effort displayed here. However, developer TaleSoft didn’t simply set out to copy the Dark Souls formula, but instead explore what that would work like in an infinite clicker. Stats have explanations indicating how they increase your capabilities, and they make sense. The minimalist sound design works great, letting you just enjoy the experience either in relative silence or with your own music. The cutting difficulty of facing an enemy just a bit faster than you are adds an almost fighting game level of reflex challenge, necessitating you know when to start downing those health potions right before the giant troll or skeleton starts sapping your health.

In the end, Tap Souls is still very much a grind, but so is Dark Souls. By finding purpose in the grind, and encouraging players to hone their capabilities to become even more powerful, TaleSoft demonstrates an understanding in this genre that so few developers seem to. There’s a clear passion in the way every background is lavishly painted and how each tap feels genuinely tangible. The main menu of this game has more personality than some console games have offered in their entirety. Is it clearly inspired by another work? Yes, no arguments. However, unless Salt & Sanctuary ever comes to Android or iOS, this is the closest we’re going to get to a proper Souls-like on mobile. It might not be the gameplay you remember, but it has the spirit.

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Elijah is a man who can't stop talking about games, geeky things, and to the chagrin of his colleagues, horrible puns. He's been working as a game journalist for several years now, and in addition to Appolicious, His other work can be found at GameCritics.com, I Need Diverse Games, and The Unabridged Gamer on YouTube. When not reviewing games, you'll probably find him ranting on Twitter, writing, or replaying Dead Space 2 for the zillionth time.